Learn to love editing, or at least accept it as one of the most important parts of the process.

I was lucky enough to grow up with a writer mom, so I saw firsthand how difficult and stressful and unpredictable the business was. I also saw the commitment it took. I’m grateful for that because I think so many people go into the business of writing with unrealistic expectations — not realising that it is, in fact, a business, and that you have to be ready and willing to do it in spite of everything else.